A palace of the finest Babylonian craftsmanship, The Royal É'Gal is built in right-angled geometrics: square pillars, block towers and turret edging make a bold and uncompromising visage. Each rectangular outline along its architecture is painted with rich colour and gilded in gold. In lieu of a courtyard out front, a wide reflection pool hosts water lilies, fig trees and islands of greenery. This pool eventually leads into the waterways themselves, allowing visitors to arrive by boat. The walkways leading around the reflection pool, from the river to the É'Gal, are flanked with soldiers in uniform, forbidden from breaking their silent vigil but ready to adopt a combative stance at the first sign of infiltration. Palm trees frequently adorn the exterior of the building but also the inner chambers for ceilings are high. The ground floor spans three times the height of a man, and the only chambers above are the narrow galleys of the servants' quarters.